If Ole Miss had beaten South Carolina on Tuesday night, those 19 wins would have had a powerful tailwind blowing the Rebels into the NCAA Tournament. With three of the final five games (UGA, Arkansas, Mizzou) being quite winnable, Ole Miss would have been playing with house money against Tennessee and Kentucky.

Instead, a 79-64 loss to the Gamecocks makes every game of the final stretch a little more critical.

Ole Miss should still be projected as an NCAA Tournament team when the brackets get updated later this week, but now, by my estimation, the Rebels need those wins against UGA, Mizzou and Arkansas just a little bit more.

A win over Tennessee or Kentucky will probably seal the deal, regardless of what happens in those games.